Templeton Report: 2012

Humility lies at the heart of a better human future, urged Sir John Templeton, who was born one hundred years ago last month and is the founder of the John Templeton Foundation.

Breakthroughs in astronomy and cosmology often occur when someone is inspired to look at a problem in a different way. This was the case for dark matter, dark energy, the multiverse, and even the Big Bang. But it is difficult to nurture such imaginative leaps because they are rare and, by definition, often unexpected. It is also very hard to secure the funding required to rigorously investigate and test such new ideas.

A growing number of related observations about the world are increasingly striking some scientists as not only arresting but deeply significant. Why are the metabolic rates of organisms as different as bacteria, blue whales, and giant redwoods all proportional to body mass raised to the power of 3/4? Why is it that patent production increases as cities grow in size according to a factor of 1.2?

We are witnessing a quiet revolution in research on human flourishing, the study of how people develop character and grow personally. Developments in the field were assessed at the “Spiritual Progress and Human Flourishing” conference held recently at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. As part of the events marking the centenary of the birth of Sir John, and sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation (JTF), the conference brought together leading researchers in fields as diverse as forgiveness and cosmology, gratitude and unlimited love.

The seven living theologians, scientists, and philosophers who are former Gifford lecturers and Templeton Prize winners gathered at the British Academy in London to offer an enthralling afternoon of fascinating reflections on what has changed since their Gifford lectures and what the future may hold.

How science relates to religion, and religion to science, is one of the crucial issues of our time. The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead remarked that these two areas of human endeavor are so important that “it is no exaggeration to say that the future course of history depends upon the decision of this generation as to the relations between them.”

This year is one of great significance for the John Templeton Foundation (JTF). It marks 25 years since the Foundation was established in 1987 by Sir John Templeton, who believed in the progress of religious and scientific endeavors and sought to investigate the Big Questions for the discovery of new spiritual insights. In addition, the Templeton Prize, created to identify “entrepreneurs of the spirit,” celebrates its 40th anniversary. 

Resilience is widely recognized as an important subject of psychological research. Individuals with the ability to adapt to what life throws at them are better able to thrive. But what is resilience?

Since the collapse of the Soviet bloc and China’s rise after embracing capitalism, the superiority of the free-market economic model has been largely unquestioned. But the 2008 global economic crash shook the public’s confidence, causing many to doubt the moral case for capitalism.